94 East

Review: By now, most know the story of 94 East. The Minneapolis band was founded in 1975 by Pepe Wille, and included amongst its' members a precocious teenager called Prince Rogers Nelson. They made over an album's worth of recordings in 1977, which remained something of a secret until Willie released them in the mid '80s to capitalize on Prince's solo success. Here, these pioneering recordings are once again made public in tribute to the sadly departed Purple One. What's so remarkable about them isn't their high quality - you'd expect that given Prince's involvement - but rather how they sound like prototypes of the distinctive "purple funk" sound that the legendary artist later made his own. The album also includes "If You Feel Like Dancin", which is arguably one of the finest "proto-house" records ever made.